AARP reports that Trump may have backed down on crazy Social Security plan

Social Security Drops Most Restrictions on Benefit Claims by Phone

We'll see if it lasts

Also: why the hell is Social Security using Musk's "X" (a.k.a. Twitter) to make the announcement?

By Andy Markowitz, AARP 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is walking back a plan to implement burdensome new in-person measures for identity verification that could have prevented millions of older Americans from applying for benefits by phone.

“Beginning on April 14, #SocialSecurity will perform an anti-fraud check on all claims filed over the telephone and flag claims that have fraud risk indicators,” the SSA announced April 8 in a series of posts on X. 

While those callers flagged for fraud risk will be required to confirm their identity in person at a Social Security field office, the agency said that claiming by phone “remains a viable option” for the vast majority of people.

An SSA spokesperson confirmed in an email statement on April 9 that the agency “will allow all claim types to be completed over the telephone.”

“This is great news for older Americans,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s chief advocacy and engagement officer, in an April 9 statement. “We appreciate SSA listening to AARP and millions of Americans about the impact on their lives and providing better access to customer service for Social Security benefits.”

AARP and other advocates for older Americans and people with disabilities opposed the plan to restrict phone service for benefit applications since the SSA announced it in mid-March.

'A win for older Americans'

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The SSA was set to institute a different policy on April 14 that would have required anyone filing for retirement benefits, family benefits or survivor benefits who does not have an online My Social Security account to go to a local office to verify their identity. This would have meant they could not complete their claims on the phone, as has long been an option.

The SSA proposal drew immediate criticism from AARP and other advocates who said it would create hardships for people with disabilities and older adults who lack reliable transportation or internet access or who live far from the nearest Social Security office.

About 6 million Americans ages 65 and over live more than 45 miles roundtrip from their nearest Social Security office, according to an April 8 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

The proposal initially covered claims for all types of benefits administered by the SSA. In the face of opposition from AARP and others, the agency had already agreed to exempt applicants for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicare. Now, applicants for retirement, family and survivor benefits will get relief as well.

“SSA's guarantee of phone access for claims is a win for older Americans,” LeaMond said. “We look forward to further improvements in their customer service.”

Customer service still in ‘crisis’

A White House official told AARP that “new technological capabilities” will allow SSA to “perform anti-fraud checks on all claims filed over the phone. The new software allows the SSA to flag abnormal behavior in a person’s account.”

The SSA says only callers flagged by the system “would be required to perform in-person ID proofing for the claim to be further processed,” and those who are not “will be able to complete their claim without any in-person requirements.”

The agency estimated that out of “4.5 million telephone claims a year,” about 70,000, or less than 0.2 percent, “may be flagged.”

The announcement came a day after AARP had again urged the agency to reconsider eliminating phone ID checks, saying it would worsen a “deepening customer service crisis.”

In an April 7 letter to acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek, LeaMond cited reports of website outages, long lines at field offices, and hours-long waits for people to get help from Social Security on the phone. She wrote that the ID plan, which the SSA estimated would drive 75,000 to 85,000 more office visits a week, would “only exacerbate the ongoing customer service crisis.”

In his Senate confirmation hearing March 25, Frank Bisignano, President Trump’s nominee for permanent Social Security commissioner, called phone service “a mandatory way for people to communicate” with the SSA.

“I see phone technology as an opportunity, but at some point, people want to talk to a live agent also. So, we have to provide that,” he said. “I think it's part of meeting beneficiaries where they want to get met, whether it's in a field office, whether it's on the web, or whether it's on the phone.”

Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.